The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday placed State Congress president Ajay Rai under house arrest for four hours in Gautam Buddha Nagar district after he reached Noida to meet workers involved in the protests demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
Mr. Rai said he was detained at the residence of Noida Congress president Mukesh Yadav and later escorted to the Delhi border under heavy police security.
“This repressive, dictatorial action, carried out at the behest of the BJP government, is tantamount to the murder of democracy. I wanted to meet workers and factory employees involved in the demonstration in Noida demanding an increase in wages,” Mr. Rai told The Hindu.
He added, “I wanted to understand their pain, as management of factories has indulged in exploitation, irregular salaries, low wages and other malpractices. However, I was placed under house arrest by the Uttar Pradesh government, and heavy police force was deployed at the residence of Noida Congress president Mukesh Yadav.”
‘Will support workers’
